I just bought a new belt that I am runing without A/C the belt itself is 73 inch, but when installed, the tension on the belt is not as tight as my old belt. It deflects up to 1/2 inch. Since I replaced the belt, I have notice slight power loss, what size belt should i size down to, my options are 71.5 and 72, or even smaller, any suggestions help.

I haven't done an A/C delete on these cars, but I can tell you that you should not go too far and get one that is too tight. It will put excessive strain on your pulleys, leading to premature pulley failure. If 72" is the next size down, I would try that first, before going much further. If you are close enough to your parts store and don't need the car to drive there, just try the 72" and exchange it if that is still too large.

Agreed...I remember reading something about someone bypassing the AC and it ended up resulting in pulleys being replaced prematurely due to the added stress wearing out the bearings quickly.